Internships are available with such local agencies as the Community Youth
Services, Kokua, Safeplace, the Thurston County offices of the state
Department of Social and Health Services; the Crisis Clinic; and, in Tacoma,
the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter, DSHS Drug Court, Catholic Community
Services, and the Franciscan Hospice Center. Many additional agencies
throughout Washington cooperate with the University, and agency staff
attempt to aid students in all possible ways.

During the course of the study, students increase their knowledge of the
social science approach to solving human problems and gain the intellectual
skills, moral insight and humanistic concepts needed to succeed
professionally. The curriculum also encourages students to develop the
ethical and analytical thinking essential to professional life in social
work, law, foreign service and teaching.

Students are required to fulfill a total of 600 internship hours. 150
hours (3 credits) are required in the SW 290 placement and a total of 450
hours (9 credits) are required in their SW 390 and SW 490 placement. SW 390
and SW 490 are to be taken in consecutive semesters at the same placement
site.

Often, students try to get their last placement
somewhere where they might continue with employment.

There are several ways that students find their placements:

They hear of a placement from another student that sounds
interesting to them, and they seek it out

They read of the internship in our Resource book of Internships
(also on the Web page), and go out to interview

The Internship supervisor recognizes a training need in the student,
and makes a suggestion to that student that they be placed in a specific
internship

If you'd be interested in getting your agency into the Resource Book for
possible interns, please:

Write up an approximate or suggested job description

Include where they would be working (inside, in the field, etc.),
with whom (what is the population - youth, single moms, battered
children?), and if there is any pay (as one can imagine, students pick
the paying placements first). There are many students who are eligible
for Federal and State Work Study.